ASSOCIATED PRESSÃ?PARIS, July 1: It is not hard to imagine the ailing Jacques Cousteau, in his final days, labouring over the galleys that would become his last and perhaps loudest denunciation of what he considered man's blind plundering of the planet.Cousteau, who died last week at 87, spent more than two decades putting together L'Homme, La Pieuvre Et L'Orchidee (Man, Octopus and Orchid), which is to go on sale today.The 425-page tome is no ordinary autobiography. Of course, there are bits and pieces of his life's story: colorful vignettes about his dramatic exploits, his encounters with the rich and famous, and his clashes with men in power.But there's much more from the famed underwater explorer, brilliant inventor and tireless, outspoken environmentalist who brought the silent mysteries of the seas into living rooms around the world.``The book is a distress signal, an SOS,'' wrote Francis Puyalte in the Conservative daily Le Figaro on Monday. ``It's the work of a planetary sociologist deeply worried about the madness of man,'' he is quoted to have said.Indeed, the world's most famous Frenchman, known worldwide as ``Commander,'' predicted the destruction of the planet sometime in the next 100 years. ``The road to the future leads us smack into the wall,'' Cousteau wrote. ``We simply ricochet off the alternatives that destiny offers: a demographic explosion that triggers social chaos and spreads death, nuclear delirium and the quasi-annihilation of the species. Our survival is no more than a question of 25, 50 or perhaps 100 years,'' he warned.The optimism that fueled Cousteau's endeavors seems to have ebbed, replaced only by a fierce determination to sound the alarm and his undying belief that ``man has a right to happiness.'' Writing in Le Figaro, Puyalte hailed the book as ``Commander Cousteau's black testament,'' and called Cousteau as ``one of the great fin-de-millennium moralists.''``Man, Octopus and Orchid is his legacy,'' Francine Triplet, Cousteau's second wife and mother of two of his children, told Paris Match magazine. ``He had felt the need to gather all his ideas into a book,'' she informed.The only sour note came from Cousteau's son, Jean-Michel, a renowned conservationist in his own right. That the public could regard the publication of Cousteau's work instantly following his death last Wednesday, as an editorial coup ``is intolerable,'' Jean-Michel was quoted as saying.Jean-Michel had been involved in a bitter controversy with his father, but said they recently reconciled.Laffont, the book's publisher, told the Associated Press that Cousteau had been going over the final manuscript in the weeks leading up to his death. ``The manuscript was absolutely finished, and Cousteau was eager to have it done,'' a Laffont spokeswoman said.Though the book was scheduled for release in September, the spokeswoman said, publication was moved up to benefit from renewed interest in Cousteau. According to Laffont, Crown Publishers will print the English edition, though no date has been set . FRANCE BIDS COUSTEAU ADIEUThe French nation today took leave of legendary underwater photography pioneer Jacques Cousteau, with 1,000 people on hand for the funeral service in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. A Naval guard of honour carried Cousteau's coffin, draped with the French flag, into the church.Roman Catholic Archbishop Jean-Marie Lustiger praised Cousteau as the poet of an unattainable reality. Funeral guests included President Jacques Chirac, Cabinet ministers, fellow members of the Academie Francaise and co-workers of his expeditions. Cousteau's wife Francine followed the service with daughter Diane and son Pierre-Yves. Also present was Cousteau's son from his first marriage, Jean-Michel. Cousteau will be buried on Thursday in his home town.
